Breached
by Luminous Blane
Summary: The barrier between worlds has cracked. Neku and his friends have to pick up their Pins, and ensure the safety of Shibuya from the damage done during their time in the Reapers' Game.
1. Chapter 1

Breached

by

Luminous Blane

For R.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights or properties pertaining to The World Ends With You. This is a non-profit fan work made only to entertain.

Neku and his friends sat down on a bench near Hachiko. They had just met up for the first time since they escaped from the Reaper's game. Despite their best efforts to the contrary, Neku, Beat, and Rhyme were having some trouble keeping from staring at Shiki. She explained to Beat and Rhyme what Neku already knew.

"My appearance was my fee..." She told them, looking down a bit. "And...I'm not really as bubbly as I was acting either. I hope we can all still be friends." Rhyme gave her a pat on the back, and Beat just laughed. "What? What is it?" She felt her cheeks reddening, thinking she was the subject of some joke that she wasn't privy to.

"Don't you get it, Shiki?" Neku asked, smiling at her. She blushed as she lost herself for a moment in his eyes, then shook her head.

"I'm shorter, I'm not as skinny, I'm shy and awkward...I'm not the girl you met in the game..." She told them. She trusted them, of course, but Shiki had never been good at making friends, and her anxiety regarding this had been gnawing at her for the whole week.

"And yet you are still our friend Shiki." Rhyme said, smiling up at her. "We weren't friends because of what you showed us on the surface, Shiki. We were, and will continue to be, friends because of who you are on the inside." Shiki smiled, relaxing a bit.

"Thanks, everyone...I feel kind of silly for worrying so much about it."

"That's cuz it is silly, yo. You're Shiki, and we're Shiki's friends. End of discussion." Neku rolled his eyes at this.

"Only you could come up with such a simple way of putting it." He told the skater, smirking.

"Thanks, Phones. Wait, where are your phones?" He asked, confused.

"First off, it wasn't a compliment. Secondly, I took 'em off. I think I don't really need 'em anymore."

"Why would you need your phones?" Beat asked, completely unaware that he had in fact been insulted for his simple outlook on the world around him.

"So," Rhyme interrupted, "Who else was injured in a car accident and spent the last four weeks in a coma?" Beat raised his hand. "I know you did, Beat. I'm just saying, what happened with you two?" She looked to Shiki and Neku. "I mean, I doubt that you guys had the same kind of excuse cooked up for where you'd been during the game."

"Well, there was no car accident, but I had tripped, and gotten a head injury after..." Shiki stopped talking, her memory of the fight with Eri distant, but still painful. Rhyme and Beat decided not to ask, but Neku moved to ensure she'd done what she told him she would.

"You made up with her once you got out, right?" Neku asked. Shiki smiled at him softly.

"Of course. But what about you? Where were you for four weeks?"

"Apparently I wasn't anywhere. I mean, nobody noticed I was missing. I just woke up in the scramble, went home, and my mom asked how school was. Next day, I'm at school, I've got the homework for the day done and ready to turn in, haven't missed a day of class as far as anyone else knew."

"Yo, man, why didn't you have to go to the hospital?" Beat demanded. Before anyone could answer him, however, they were all startled by the sound of their phones. All of them looked at the text as Neku read it aloud.

"'Reach WildKAT. You have twenty minutes. Fail and be forced to drink cold coffee. Sanae Hanekoma.' Well, we better get going." He smiled widely. As they walked together through the scramble, Neku felt a bit worried as he looked to Shiki. She was clutching Mr. Mew tightly in her arms, staring at the ground as she walked, and hanging back a bit from the group. His phone began buzzing with a text. He raised a brow in confusion, seeing as it was from the small blond girl to his right.

_"I can take Beat up ahead a bit faster. I'm a little worried too, but you know her better. You hang back and make sure she's feeling ok."_ Neku nodded at her as he closed his phone. Beat stared at them curiously.

"Beat, can you carry me there? Quickly?" Rhyme said, acting distressed. "I have to..um..." She shifted her legs, clamping them tightly together. "Use the facilities..." Beat's eyes went wide. His sister in need was clearly a weak spot for him. He pulled her into his arms with no difficulty, dropped his board on the ground, and took off. Neku turned to Shiki.

"You ok?" He asked, putting a hand on her back.

"Wh-what? Why do you ask?" She stared into his eyes as if he had a knife to her throat.

"Let's make a deal. You answer the question, and then I'll tell you why I asked." He gave her a reassuring smile, which grew a bit as he saw her relaxing.

"I...I'm not good with people. I just pretended to be in the game. By the time I was acting like me at all again, it was a different kind of me. I had a goal, you know? Something to focus on...It's not that I think you guys might stop liking me, more like..." She sighed, frowning as she looked up at the sky. "This is the first time you guys have seen me like this...I know all of you, but I still feel like...well, not like I'm meeting new people...but like I have to make a new first impression on you guys."

"That's stupid." Neku responded flatly. She stared at him in disbelief. "It is. I mean, the whole reason I asked if anything was wrong is that I thought something important was eating at you. I get that you were worried, but I thought it was something bigger." She blinked, attempting to process this.

"Like what?"

"Like how Mr. H sent us his invitation like it was a reaper mission. The game was hard for all of us, and even though we beat it, I thought maybe the way he worded the text made you uncomfortable." Shiki nodded, thinking for a bit.

"It was pretty hard on us, wasn't it?" Neku nodded, smiling. "Even so...I wouldn't have changed a bit of it. I owe you a lot, Neku..."

"The hell you do." He replied, smirking at her shocked expression. "It's not like I had to carry you through the game. And heck, you did at least as much for me as I did for you. I mean, now I've got friends. Back then, I couldn't stand people." He thought for a moment, then held out his hand to her. "So, if you'll accept my apology for being such a dick, we'll just call the whole thing even." Shiki giggled a bit, and gave his hand a firm shake.

"Deal." An easy, comfortable quiet descended on them as they finished their trip to the coffee shop. As they entered, a familiar voice shouted to them.

"Shiki! Pho—where'd the phones go? Ah, whatever, good to see you kids again. In honor of your victory over the game, the whole first round's on the house. Come on." He waved them towards the table that Rhyme and Beat sat at, smiling with an impenetrable sense of serenity.

"Thanks, Mr. H." Neku told him, making sure to give him a high five as he walked past the barista.

"Thank you." Shiki added, bowing a bit, clinging tightly to Mr. Mew.

"Well, damn. Aren't you just a chunk of adorable? Anyway, the Bitos have their coffee, how do you two take yours?"

"Black." Neku said plainly, taking his seat.

"Um, two creams, please...And don't skimp on the sugar..." Shiki smiled up at him. Neku watched her a bit, thinking about how much more comfortable she seemed. He knew it wasn't really because of him, but he totally understood the change in her demeanor. Something about Hanekoma just made people feel at peace, and ready to just be themselves. Once they got their cups, Neku looked to the rest of the group.

"If anyone wants another one, second round's gonna be on me." He told them, taking a sip. The group sat around and made small talk, generally enjoying one another's company. After nearly an hour, they decided to go their seperate ways, seeing the sun beginning to set outside.

"So, see you guys again soon, right?" Neku asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Rhyme told him.

"Time might change, but we'll find you at Hachiko." Beat slapped him on the back.

"Actually, could you meet me there tomorrow, Neku?" Shiki asked.

"Sure! Looking forward to it." As they all went their separate ways, Hanekoma examined a note in his pocket, sure that the coast was clear.

"Waiting and seeing how I clean up my mess...Well, I guess that's more lenient than I was expecting." He flipped open his phone, and hit the contacts. "Yo, Josh, we need to talk."

It was late in the evening by the time Neku got home. His mother gave him a quick hug, and told him there was a large package for him that she put in his room. Curious, he took a look. Opening the box, the first thing he spotted was a note.

_"Thanks for helping me see my mistake. Here's some souvenirs, as thanks and as an apology. Keep on slamming. Joshua."_ Neku smiled, looking inside. Nearly every piece of clothing he'd worn in the game was inside. The few items that weren't present weren't meant to be worn by men anyway. But on top of all the folded clothes, he picked up a large case, popping it open.

"Heh...thank God...I was starting to think I'd have to build a collection all over." He went through his Pins, making sure all of them were there. He was shocked, however, to learn that one he hadn't expected was in the case. The player pin glinted in the light as he flipped it in the air like a coin.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be the same without my skull." He placed the pins back in the case, and unpacked the box, moving clothes to his closet. By the time he was done, a knock came to his door.

"Neku, sweety, don't stay up too late. You've got school in the morning."

"Thanks, mom." He told her. "I was just unpacking."

"Oh, what was in the box, by the way?" She asked, examining the room, trying to spot anything new.

"Oh, uh, I went to a Tin Pin Slammer tournament sponsored by 104, and I got a huge gift card, last week. These are all the clothes I picked up." His mother smiled at him, pulled him into a hug, and kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm so proud of you, Neku. First I learn you're finally making friends, and now I find out you've been competing in a game that you enjoy...Did you win?" She asked, smiling.

"Uh, Fifth place...First prize was a trip to, um, Okinawa." He felt his stomach turn. He never liked the idea of lying to his mother, but there was no way he could risk trying to explain everything. "Anyway, like you said, got school tomorrow. I better hit the sack." She nodded, and backed out of his room, closing the door.

Neku smiled, and looked back at the box. "Thanks, Joshua..." He mumbled. He climbed into bed, and turned off the light.


	2. Chapter 2

Neku stood silently near Hachiko, watching people pass. Each one had their own story, and all of their stories were woven together to form the beautiful tapestry that is Shibuya. Keeping an eye out, he spotted a familiar face.

"Hey!" He put his hand on the girl's shoulder, then froze, realizing what he'd done as she jumped, and stared at him with fear and confusion on her face. "Uh, Eri, right?" He asked, trying to cover himself.

"Y-yeah, how did you know?" She stared at him with suspicion.

"Shiki told me a lot about you, and, uh, she's got a picture of you two as her phone background...Not that she showed me, I just picked it up when she dropped it..and..." He blushed as he verbally scrambled for purchase. Finally, he just gave in. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted so familiar..."

"Hey, it's all good. I guess that makes you Neku. She had to use the restroom, but she'll be here soon." Eri smiled, offering her hand, which he shook firmly. "By the way, if you-"

"Neku! Eri!" Shiki ran up to them, smiling. "I see you guys already met!"

"Yeah...So, what were you saying, Eri? I'm sorry Shiki, but she was mid-sentence." Eri looked at both of them, then furrowed her brow.

"Totally lost my train of thought. It happens." She shrugged, smiling. "So, I guess you're coming with us to 104, Neku?"

"Well, the plan was just hanging out as far as I knew. Long as I'm with friends, I'm fine wherever." As they walked to the store, Neku felt Eri's eyes giving him a piercing gaze, though every time he made eye contact, she looked away innocently. As they walked around the stores, Eri pointed to a store filled with various fabrics.

"Hey, Shiki, I think I heard they got a sale going on in there..." Shiki dashed inside without a word, joining the frenzy known as 104 customers. Eri turned to Neku, and glowered at him.

"Somethin' wrong, Eri?" He asked, nervously rubbing a pin on his collar. She looked angry, and having a means of attack, even if it wouldn't be effective in the RG, made him feel a bit more secure.

"I know what you're doing, Neku. I've seen assholes like you do it all the time. You see a beautiful popular girl, so you fall in with one of her friends to try to get closer to her. Most of my friends can spot slime balls like you a mile away, but Shiki's different. She thinks you're really her friend. If you know what's good for you, you'll back off. You don't have a chance with me anyway." She turned and saw Shiki coming towards them, arms full of bolts of cloth. "Don't say a word of it to her." Eri hissed at him.

"These weren't on sale at all!" Shiki said, still having decided to pay for them. She felt the tension in the air, and shrank back a bit, looking between them. "Is something wrong?"

"Actually, I just got a phone call, I gotta head home." Eri said, frowning. "I'll see you guys later. And Neku, remember what I said." Eri ran off, a bounce in her step.

"What was all that about?" Shiki asked, watching her friend leave.

"I can honestly say that I haven't the slightest idea what is going on in that girl's head." Neku replied, holding out his arms. "Well?"

"Well what?" Shiki asked, staring blankly at him.

"I thought the guy on the shopping trip was supposed to carry the bags?" Shiki blinked, then smiled, handing them to him.

"Well I don't want you following me home," She joked, "But I guess you can carry them to the station."

"Fair enough." Neku carried them easily through 104 as she continued shopping. It was already dark by the time they had finished. As they made their way to the train station, Shiki tried to ask Neku what had transpired with Eri.

"Look, I'm not even sure what happened, we just-" His words were cut short as he saw a group of young men further down the road, staring at them as if daring them to take a step closer.. "Keep your head up. They're less likely to try anything if they know we're alert and aware. If anything happens, keep your eyes open for a way out of it. I'll be fine." Shiki stared at him, not entirely sure how he would stand up to this gang, small though it was, on his own. As they walked, the gang slowly encircled them.

"'Scuse us, we're trying to get to the station. She's got to catch her train home." Neku told them, smiling amiably.

"Well, well, well. What a sweet young couple." One of them taunted.

"Oh, we're not a couple." Neku responded, completely unfazed, watching their movements. Another stepped forward, grabbing Shiki's shoulder.

"Then you won't mind if I have a kiss?" He grabbed her by the jaw and pulled her face towards his. He closed his eyes, sticking his tongue out, only to be smacked in the face by a bag of clothes and fabrics.

"I kinda do, because you're being a jerk about it." Neku replied, dropping the other bag and falling into a more ready stance.

"Oh, you are DEAD you little worm!" The one who had grabbed Shiki lunged at Neku, throwing a punch that the boy easily ducked under. "...The hell? Hold still so I can hit you!"

"That doesn't sound like a good idea to me." Another punch was thrown, this time by someone else. Neku moved with an incredible agility, simply moving out of the way of every blow. "You guys are kinda slow, huh?" Shiki gave a yelp as she found herself once again grabbed. Neku looked toward her, and his eyes widened with horror. She was being held tightly in place as the thug who'd grabbed her brought out a knife.

"Now you're gonna hold still and take your beating, or you're gonna spend all night picking up the pieces of your little girlfriend." The rest of his gang froze, starring at him.

"Yo, Takeshi, what are you doing?" One of them asked. "We don't kill, man. And we don't hurt girls..."

"SHUT UP!" He shouted. Neku's vision blurred a bit. He swore he saw a strange figure perched on the man's shoulder, glowing orange. "Now get him, or she's DEAD!" He added.

"SHIKI!" Neku reached out toward her, and to the surprise of all present, she lurched out of the man's arms and tumbled to the ground. He froze, and stared at his palm for a moment as the man who had grabbed Shiki lunged at Neku with his knife.

As if from nowhere, three figures appeared, and quickly took down the thug, and what few members of his group had decided he was worth helping.

"Some night, huh?" Asked one of the trio, helping Shiki to her feet.

"777!" She squeaked in surprise.

"You seem kinda familiar. Have we met?" He asked, puzzled. Neku walked over to Shiki, having collected the shopping bags. "Now you, I definitely remember."

"She was with me. Her appearance was her fee." Neku told the singer succinctly.

"Ah, right! BJ, Tenho, this is the chick who was with him that first week. Remember, when the lights wouldn't come on for rehearsal?" He told his friends. "Y'know, I never did really pay you back for how much you helped me. I mean, I gave you a pin the first time, but when the black Noise were on the scene..."

"Don't mention it, man." Neku told him, smiling.

"Nah, dude, man's gotta own up to his debts. So here." He gave each of them a Def March ticket. "Got a show tomorrow night. Composer himself gave me a ring, letting us know you guys needed some help, so I decided to take care of two birds with one stone. If I knew what was going on though, I probably would've waited to give ya the tickets."

"Hey, thanks, guys. We gotta get going, though. Shiki's gotta catch the subway home." Neku, Shiki, and the band, all quickly exchanged parting words. As they walked to the station, conversation picked up once again.

"Are you ok? I've heard that kind of thing can cause shock..." Neku told her, referring to the lowlifes who attacked them.

"I wasn't worried...I got surprised a little, but...I trusted my partner." Neku smiled at her words, handed her the bags, and waved to her as she got onto the last train of the night.

He quickly dialed his phone, and smiled when he heard the voice on the other end. "Hey, mom, sorry. I lost track of time. I'm on the way home now. No, everything's fine...I was just walking one of my friends to the station. Yeah, she managed to catch the train home, no problem...Actually, we ran into a band she knows. We each got a ticket to the show tomorrow. Alright, well, be home soon. Don't wait up...Love you too, mom." He hung up his phone and headed back home.


	3. Chapter 3

Sanae Hanekoma stood behind the counter of the WildKat. Every few minutes he'd check his watch, as if waiting for something. It had been a slow day even by his standards, and he was tired of waiting. Closing the shop and drawing the blinds over all the windows, he checked his watch once more. As he looked up, he found the boyish young face of the Composer.

"Well, you certainly seem agitated. Not like you at all." The boy chided.

"Yeah, well, you sure seem young. That ain't much like you either." Hanekoma replied, his tone relaxed despite the anxiety starting to build in him. "So, before we get into the meat of things, I need some answers from you."

"Well then I'll need some questions from you." Joshua replied matter-of-factly, sidling into a booth. "One house blend, please." He placed his order.

"We're closed, Josh." Hanekoma replied, pouring him a cup anyway, and taking a seat across from him. "So, I've seen some reapers around..."

"How unusual. Someone who can see the game in play has spotted a reaper." Joshua told him, taking a sip.

"Cut the crap, Josh. You know I'm all for games, but this is serious. Those reapers were erased in the game. Now they're back." Joshua stared at him, slowly slurping up coffee in the most irritating manner possible. Finally, he set his cup on the table, giving a resigned sigh.

"It wasn't fair." He shrugged. "They were dragged into a game between me and Megumi with no idea what was going on. Anyone unfairly erased due to a breach in rules of the game has been reassembled. Also Rhyme, because...Well, let's face it, two friends wanted the same favor from me." He smirked, then added in a coy whisper. "I think one of them was you!"

"Right. So, on to the next question." Hanekoma removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "Is he back?" Joshua merely shrugged.

"Not that I know of. I certainly didn't bring him back, at any rate. Hasn't stopped him from coming back at least once though." Another long, slurping sip.

"Y'know, there's cleanup that needs to be done after the mess that the game turned into." Hanekoma looked downcast for a moment. "Speaking of the mess... I'm sorry."

"Hey, no problem, Sanae. You made the game a lot more interesting. Now, as far as clean up, what did you have in mind?"

"You already know the answer, don't you?" Hanekoma asked, his face grim. Joshua gave a resigned sigh.

"Yeah...Yeah, I do. And I agree. But at this point, it's not really an imminent matter. Can we give them at least a little time off?"

"Hey, you're in closer control of this decision than I am. I mostly hafta just play advisor."

"...We'll wait as long as we can. At least long enough for me to do him a little favor." Joshua finished his coffee, and sighed. "I don't like this."

"Me neither." Hanekoma replied. "But something needs doing, and they've proven stronger than most of your reapers." They sat in silence for a moment, Sanae finally replacing his glasses on his face. "So, what's the favor?" He asked. "You wanna call him down here for it?" Joshua shook his head.

"Oh no. If I'm there, it'll make it much harder to do this for him." Joshua smirked, his eyes narrowing as he laughed to himself.

"Josh. Dude. Chills up and down my spine. Reel it in." Hanekoma told him wryly. "Anyway, I guess we both have a lot of work to do."

"Afraid so. Thanks for the coffee." Joshua exited the cafe, his eyes on the ground, and a certain heaviness to his posture.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm really sorry...We were kind of in a bad situation, and I was a little freaked out by everything going on..." Shiki sat across from Eri, eyes cast down towards the floor of a Sunshine Burger. "They did give us the tickets in person, so I might be able to get them to let us back stage, too...I'll get you an autograph if I can, ok?"

Eri just laughed. "Don't worry about it! Just promise me you'll have a good time at the concert, alright?"

"Okay..." Shiki checked her watch, then began sipping on her soda. School had let out only a little while before, but the concert wasn't until eight o'clock. She had plenty of time before she had to start getting ready.

"So...How did you two meet?" Shiki jumped, startled by the question. There was no way she could explain the existence to the game to Eri. Even if she tried, Eri would never believe her.

"Wh-why do you ask?" She sputtered nervously.

"Well it's kind of weird...I mean, you were in the hospital for a while, right? When did you have time to meet him?" Eri leaned in, interested.

"We...met in the hospital. My two other new friends, Beat and Rhyme, they're brother and sister, and they were in a car accident...I was sharing a room with Rhyme and he was sharing one with Beat. So we wound up spending some time together..." As she spun her tale, Shiki made a mental note to attempt to get the others to corroborate her story.

"Oh!" Eri paused, considering this new information. She still couldn't be sure, but knowing they met in the hospital probably meant he did care for Shiki. While she couldn't rule out him being a creep just yet, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. "Well, what exactly is the deal with him? I mean, are you two...y'know..." She grinned suggestively at her best friend.

"N-no, nothing like that..." Shiki replied, sounding a little sad about it. There wasn't much chance, after all. That kind of thing never seemed to happen to awkward, plain Shiki.

"Do you want to be?" Eri asked, smiling. Shiki turned bright red, stirred from her thoughts.

"E-Eri!"

"Because if you do, we should get you into something that'll draw some attention." Shiki blushed and considered this for a moment.

"...I guess I should wear something nice...I mean, if nothing else, I might be spending time with Def Märch in person..." She shifted a little uncomfortably, wishing she had Mr. Mew with her to help her feel safe.

In spite of Shiki's uneasiness, Eri felt a little surprised by the reaction she received. In the past, this was the sort of thing that Shiki would dismiss as teasing, either about a boy, or about her lack of confidence in being able to pull off more fashionable outfits. Her old friend didn't seem quite so much like her old friend anymore. The girl in front of her was more confident than the Shiki she was used to.

"W-well, let's head back to your place, okay? We can go through your closet, maybe make some changes to some things...We don't have long, but we should be able to get you into something a little more stylish before it's time for you to head to the concert." With this, Eri stood up, quickly gulped down the last of her soda, and took her tray to the trash bin. Shiki quickly followed behind her.

Meanwhile, back in Shibuya, Neku sat between the Bito siblings at Ramen Don, having just explained where he'd gotten his ticket to go see Def Märch. "Sorry we didn't ask for tickets for you guys, too...I was a little thrown. I...I think I used a psych."

"It's cool, yo. I don't really like goin' ta concerts, y'know? It's like, I wanna hear the music, not the people who came to the show." Beat replied between heaping mouthfuls of curry flavored ramen.

"Beat, he said he might've used a psych." He looked up, shocked, when his sister had called his attention to the more important detail. "What kind was it? And did you even have a pin on you?"

"Well, I kinda got into tin pin slammer, so I have started wearing my old Game pins...I think I pulled Shiki away from one of the guys that were giving us trouble. And one of the pins I had _was_ a psychokinesis pin, so..."

"Yo, why you guys overthinkin' this? You think you psyched, but there ain't no psychs in the RG, so you didn't use one." Beat finally concluded. Any further attempts to make headway on the subject would surely be stifled by his insistence of this fact. "Anyway, you nervous?" He asked Neku, a ramen noodle stuck to his cheek.

"Nervous about what, exactly?" He asked, confused. He grimaced as Beat's probing tongue found the noodle, which was crudely slurped into his waiting mouth. "Dude, seriously. Learn some table manners."

"Nervous about the big date 777 landed you wit' Shiki! Duh!" Beat replied, wiping his face with a napkin, now feeling self conscious about his eating habits.

"Wh...who said anything about it being a date!?"

"Aw, come on, man, you can't play like you don't like the idea. Yo Rhyme, did I tell you she was his entry fee, second week?"

"That's exactly why it's not a date." Neku told him firmly. "Remember when we met up with her? How she reacted to finding out she was my fee? That right there was her telling me she wasn't interested." The two adolescent boys quieted down for a moment.

Rhyme, finally finding a gap in the conversation, jumped back in. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The only reason not to try to build that kind of relationship is not being interested in it yourself."

"...You're right. But I don't really think it's the right time for that." Neku told her, sounding a little discouraged.

"You might be right, but when you see your opportunity, you should act." She looked down at her bowl. "Hm. I always eat faster when I'm distracted, it seems. If you weren't between us, I'd suspect Beat had been stealing from my bowl."

"...I appreciate all the advice." He told her, smiling. "As for you, Beat, now I am nervous, and for no reason." They continued to chat as they ate, and soon Neku and Beat had caught up to Rhyme and finished their food.

"We should get going. Mom and dad are expecting us." Rhyme told her brother. Beat nodded, smiling.

"Hey, that reminds me, how are things going with your parents?"

"Better than ever, man." He said with a smile.

"You don't know what you've got til it's gone. Or in this case, until it's almost taken away from you." Rhyme said with a cheerful smile. "Knowing that they could've had a dead son instead of a live one became a bigger deal than whether or not he was an academic success."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it worked out. I'll catch you two later." All three of them exited the small restaurant, and Neku split up from the siblings. With time to kill and nowhere to be for the next few hours, he headed home and picked up his headphones. Even if he didn't use them to shut people out anymore, he still loved music, and they were still his prized possession. He took his time, walking around town a little, finally deciding to just head for the station when his feet started to get tired.

In the old days, he would've kept his eyes down and his mouth shut. Now, he watched as people around him went about their lives. He'd been there for about a half hour when he received a text from Shiki saying she was heading to the train, and another twenty minutes passed before that train arrived.

Shiki took a deep breath as she stepped off the train. She'd worn more daring things than this to be sure, but only when she had Eri's body, and when she knew that no one in the RG could see her. Even as conservative as this carefully edited assembly of D+B products was, she still didn't feel very confident in her ability to pull it off. She was so focused on worrying that the outfit didn't suit her that she almost didn't hear Neku calling out to her. Finally finding the source of his voice, she shuffled over to him nervously, clutching the shoulder straps of the large handbag she carried as she went.

"Wow...Shiki, you look GREAT!" He told her, a slight look of awe on his face as he pulled his headphones down off his ears. She stood up a little straighter at this comment.

"You really think this works on me?" She asked bashfully.

"Well...I mean, I do, but then again, I'm not really on top of the fashion world." He answered, sounding a little unsure. "I don't know if it 'works', per se, but you definitely look good in it. Anyway, we got a show to catch." He told her, smiling again. The two of them left the station and headed to A-East, both thinking, in the back of their minds, about the ideas of a relationship that their friends had planted in their minds.


End file.
